Heroes Need Monster
by Stratagem
Summary: Illya and Gaby's daughter is afraid of the imaginary monsters in her room. So it's time to do some family-style monster hunting! Family fluff.
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I think it's a fantastic movie, and I bet the TV show was really cool! But yeah, I don't own either. ^_~

A/N: So I'm a sucker for the Gaby x Illya ship, and so I gave them a kid, a daughter named Katerina, which has about a thousand nicknames. Most of the time she's called Katie, since everyone can agree on that (though Gaby and Illya sometimes call her Katya or Katyusha). She's about five years old in this ficlet. This'll be a three-shot!

 **Heroes Need Monsters**

Gaby was awake the moment the bedroom door opened a hair, letting in the soft glow of the hallway nightlight. She opened one eye to see Illya looking back at her, alert even though his eyes were barely open.

Neither of them moved, however, as little bare feet padded over the carpet, hardly making a sound. A slight dip in the mattress and the blanket shifting downward was the only indication that their daughter had climbed onto the bed and made herself comfortable.

If they had left her like that, Katie would have slept the entire night curled up at the foot of the bed like a cat, possibly using Illya's ankles as a pillow. Cute, yes, but a little worrying.

Up until a couple weeks ago, she hadn't had any problems sleeping through the night in her own bed, and only rushed to their room after a nightmare or during a bad thunderstorm. But after Illya had left for this last mission, their curly-headed moppet had started crawling into bed with Gaby every night without fail. Apparently there were monsters with fangs and claws and lots of fur in her closet and under her bed, and a thorough inspection of all those places with a flashlight and even all the lights in the house on couldn't convince her otherwise.

Gaby had hoped that when Illya got back, the whole monster situation would go away, but no such luck. She hadn't even gotten a chance to tell him about it yet. He had just gotten back that afternoon, and they hadn't really had a moment to talk without Katie around.

Or, well, they _had_ , but they hadn't used that time to _talk_.

A big, callused hand brushed across Gaby's skin as Illya sat up and then reached for their daughter. Gently, he slid her across the covers until she was close enough to gather into his arms. "I think this is not your bed, Katyusha."

Her little face with its pert nose and big green eyes looked so solemn it was almost funny. "There's a monster under my bed, Papa."

Immediately, Illya's eyebrows came together in that concerned frowny expression that Gaby loved, and he glanced over at her, silently asking what was going on.

"We've been dealing with a minor monster infestation since you've been gone, love," she said, "Can't seem to get rid of them."

"Mommy made them go away, but they won't stay gone." Katie's lower lip poked out for a split second before she determinedly hid her pout against Illya's neck, her dark blond curls spilling over his shoulder. Her next words were muffled. "They're scary."

Gaby could see Illya's arms tighten around Katie, and she reached out to squeeze his thigh, letting him know that she understood how he felt. Monsters weren't real, so there wasn't an easy way to take care of the problem. They couldn't chase it away or fix it quickly.

Illya couldn't punch invisible monsters to death. No matter how much he wanted to.

After a long moment, Illya loosened his hold and kissed Katie's forehead. "We will have to see what we can do about the monsters in the morning. It is not a good time for hunting. Little girls should be asleep." He set her down on the bed, and Gaby automatically gathered Katie to her, squishing her with a hug and covering her with kisses until she gave a sleepy giggle.

A shadow crossed over them and Illya caught Gaby's lips in a quick, crushing kiss, one of his arms planted in the mattress on her other side so he could prop himself up and not squash them. "That, by the way, includes chop shop girls." His voice was stern, and that sent a shiver down her back.

"Russian giants, too, then," she said, shoving his chest.

He growled before pulling the covers up around them, tucking his girls in. Most of the time, Gaby preferred being called a woman rather than a girl, but with Illya, it was different. Endearing instead of aggravating, most of the time.

Between them, Katie curled up against Gaby, but one of her tiny hands reached out toward Illya, fingers resting splayed on his arm as if to reassure herself he was really there. It must've been too much for him because a few seconds later, he picked her up and set her on his other side and then pulled Gaby closer. It was as if he just wanted both of them as close to him as he could maneuver them.

Gaby knew there was no need to say that they had missed each other. It was etched in every movement, in every time they reached for each other.

Before the last sliver of night faded, she felt Illya give her a feather-light kiss. "Goodnight, Радость моя."

Радость моя = My Joy (I'm sorry if I totally screw up Russian words. I'm trying, but Russian is not my strong point! Let me know if you catch my Russian mistakes so I can fix them! 3)


	2. Part 2

`Disclaimer: I don't own The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I think it's a fantastic movie, and I bet the TV show was really cool! But yeah, I don't own either. ^_~

 **Part Two**

Illya and Gaby had spent the afternoon setting up a few simple monster traps in Katie's room. There was now a pair of nails driven into the doorframe of her closet and a string with bells tied was hung between the nails. Around Katie's bed, Illya had sprinkled salt and flour, which he promised monsters hated so much. It was going to be a pain to clean up, but Gaby was willing to put up with it if it helped her daughter.

And, to top it all off, they had bought three new flashlights just for Katie, and Illya had created a special makeshift flashlight holder that sat on her nightstand. Someone was especially determined to get rid of the monsters.

It was getting late, close to Katie's bedtime. Gaby was busy chasing her down as she did a few giggling laps around the furniture in the living room while Illya finished drying the dishes.

"Come here!" Gaby said, reaching for her and intentionally missing, letting Katie dart under her arms.

She got a huge grin in return as Katie darted back behind the couch and ducked between the window and the back of the couch. "Can't catch meee," she said in a sing-song tone.

"Wanna bet?" Gaby asked, walking that way, her feet sinking into the plush shag carpet. This place needed a makeover, but they weren't staying here much longer since Illya's mission was over. It was time to move, but that was something they could think about tomorrow. Tonight they had some downtime.

Just as Katie was creeping out from behind the couch, Gaby raced forward, reaching for her. The little girl squealed and backpedaled, heading toward the other end of the couch. She might have made it, too, if Illya hadn't finished the dishes a few moments earlier and headed into the living room to find out what they were doing.

"Papa, no, no fair," Katie cried, but she was laughing as he caught and lifted her, tossing her into the air. Thank goodness for high ceilings. They were a necessity when living with Illya.

"More than fair." He tickled her until she dissolved into breathless laughter and then settled her across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Turning to Gaby, he held out a hand. "Coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it," she said, tucking her hand into his. Honestly, she was a little curious about how this whole monster talk was going to go down. Yes, they had discussed it today, but she wanted to see it in action.

When they got to Katie's room, Illya set her down on the bed and then sat down as well, pulling Gaby with him.

"Can I have a story?" Katie asked, flopping across Gaby's lap. "Pleeeease?"

"Just one," Illya said, closing his hand around hers then opening it again. He flicked his eyes at Gaby. "You have more stories than I do."

Gaby smirked a little and settled against Illya as she started her story, weaving a tale of magic and fairies and good things with the heroes coming out on top, hoping that would help Katie sleep better. Maybe it was those fairytales with witches and werewolves that were keeping Katie afraid of the dark, though the kid always liked those the best. She was rather fearless, or had been until recently.

As the story came to a happily-ever-after, Katie yawned and glanced up at Gaby. "Can I sleep with you now?"

"You're going to sleep in your own bed tonight, remember?" Gaby said, smoothing her daughter's golden curls.

Katie sat up, her lower lip poking out into a pout. "I don't want to anymore."

Beside her, Illya rumbled. "Mmm, that is too bad." He reached over and picked up one of the flashlights they had bought. "Then you will not be able to try out this special banisher." Tossing it from one hand to the other, he glanced at her. "This is a tool for a brave girl."

Perking up a bit, Katie frowned. "I'm brave. But that's just a flashlight."

"Is it?" Illya turned the light on, and it shined bright blue light onto the ceiling with a yellow star in the middle. He had spent part of the day coloring the lens on the flashlights, and it had a nice effect. Turning it off, he looked at the lens and then at Katie again. "It does not seem to be _just_ a flashlight."

"Can I see it?" Katie held out her hand, eyes on the flashlight.

Illya dropped it into her hand. "Try it."

She flipped on the flashlight and waved it around, sending the yellow star bouncing around the room. Giggling, she waved her hand over the light, making it blink in and out. "What's it do?"

"You know that monsters are not real," Illya said, "But if you are frightened and feel like they are real, shine this light at them. They will go away. It may take more than one night, but I think you will find it works."

"Monsters seem real," Katie said. She leaned against Gaby, who brushed her arm up and down.

"They do, sometimes," Gaby said. And there were monsters in the world, but Katie wouldn't yet understand that people could be monsters sometimes. She wished she could always keep that from her daughter. "But they're just in your imagination."

"Uncle Solo says I've got a good imagination," Katie said. 

Illya nodded. "Which is why it has made up monsters. But you come from a strong family, and you do not need to be afraid."

"I think I'll be better with this." Katie wrapped both hands around the modified flashlight.

"You will," Gaby said. She grabbed the blankets and tucked Katie in while Illya picked up an old stuffed bear from the foot of the bed. "Sleep well, little one."

"Here is Grey," Illya said, handing his daughter the black bear that had been misnamed so long ago. "Now you shall sleep and have good dreams."

"Apparently that's an order," Gaby teased. She gave Katie a kiss and stood up to move toward the door.

"It is a good order." Illya tapped the end of Katie's nose then kissed her on the cheek before following Gaby out of her bedroom. He left the door open a crack. Taking Gaby's hand, he pulled her down the hallway, back toward the living room.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Gaby asked. She hoped that Katie could make it through the night in her own room. She didn't mind cuddling her baby girl, but she didn't want her to be so afraid of the dark.

"It will," Illya said and gave her a mock-serious look, "It is a Russian tradition."

"It is not…"

"Now it is."


End file.
